NCAA Tournament: East Region

As expected, Maryland is the No. 1 seed in thge East. The Terrapins will face the winner of Tuesday's play in game between Alcorn St. and Siena.

Maryland gets the No. 1 seed, but No. 4 Kentucky gets the toughest matchup in the Eagt's first round. The Wildcats face No. 13 Valparaiso. The following is a capsule on the East Region teams.

No. 1Maryland TerrapinsRecord: 26-4 (15-1, ACC)Location: College Park, MarylandKey players: Juan Dixon, G (6-3, Sr.); Lonny Baxter, F (6-8, Sr.); ByronMouton, G (6-6, Sr.).Outlook: After the opening-season setback to Arizona, Maryland has sort offlown under the radar for much of the season. However, the big win over Dukein mid-February forced others to take notice that the Terrapins are asprimed as anybody to make a return visit to the Final Four.Projection: Along with Kansas, probably the nation's most veteran team. Fourstarters are seniors, and they all have major NCAA tournament experience.Maryland can score from numerous places on the floor, but occasionallyappears susceptible to teams with balanced attacks. Still, a major player inthe Big Dance.

VS

No. 16Alcorn State BravesRecrod: 20-9 (16-2, SWAC)Location: Lorman, MSKey Players: Marcus Fleming, F (6-8 Sr.); Walt Harper, C (6-8 Sr.): BrianJackson, SF (6-6 Jr.)Overview: The Braves are a team that gets really hot and then really coldand the inconsistency is on the upswing right now. Alcorn State began theyear 0-5 before winning the next eight games. After going 4-4 over the nexteight, the Braves ended the year by going on another eight-game winningstreak that included winning the SWAC championship, 70-67, over AlabamaState. Fleming is the key player for the Braves, he averages 15 points andnearly eight boards per game.Projection: It is unlikely that Alcorn State will win a game. Any win wouldinstantly become the greatest in tournament history.

VS

No. 16Siena SaintsRecord: 16-18 (19-9, Metro Atlantic)Location: Loudenville, NYKey Players: Dwayne Archibold, F (6-6, Sr.); Prosper Karangwa, G (6-7, Jr.)Outlook: Siena is led by senior forward Dwayne Archibold, who averaged 20.3points per game on the year and scored 30 against Niagra to help lead theteam to the Metro Atlantic title. Though he is only 6-6, Archibold hits theboards to the tune of 7.3 rebounds per game.Projection: Siena has had a tradition of post season success, most notibly awin over Stanford. Don't expect a similar win this time out. The Saints arean early tournament sacrifice.

No. 8WisconsinRecord: 18-11 (11-5, Big Ten)Key Players: Kirk Penney, G (6-5, Jr.); Charlie Wills, F (6-8, Sr.); TravonDavis, G (5-10, Sr.).Outlook: It hurts to watch, but my goodness is it effective. Defense,defense, and some defense to go along with Kirk Penney is the chemicalcomposition for danger in the Field of 64. Wisconsin is even weaker than inyears past offensively as the New Zealand native Penney is the only man onthe team with any true offensive potency. It doesn't matter if the Badgersscore if they can't be scored upon.Projection: A three-game non-conference losing streak to Weber State, Hawaiiand Georgia Tech, along with a 32-point (80-48) embarrassment at Illinois,and defeats at the hands of Big Ten cellar dwellers Northwestern andMichigan, do not bode well. However, the Badgers won their final sixregular-season conference games including W's over Ohio State, Indiana andMinnesota.

VS

No. 9St. John's Red StormRecord: 20-11 (9-7, Big East)Location: New York, NYKey Players: Marcus Hatten, G (6-6, Jr.); Anthony Glover, F (6-6, Sr.);Outlook: The Red Storm are another Big East team that can't separatethemselves from the pack. They have some good wins, most notably victoriesover Tennessee, Miami and Wake Forest. They have also been utterly destroyedby the likes of Duke, Manhattan and Pitt. They are a low-scoring team withonly two players who average in double figures. Hatten is the star. He canplay both guard spots and has been the best player on Mike Jarvis' squad.Projection: The Red Storm got off the bubble, but they won't stay in thedance long. A first round win should be considered a success and anappearance in the Sweet Sixteen would be a major surprise. More than likelythe Storm are one and done.

No. 5Marquette Golden EaglesRecord: 26-6, (13-3, C-USA)Location: Milwaukee, WIKey Players: Dwayne Wade, G (6-4, So.); Cordell Henry, G (5-10, Sr.);Odartey Blankson, G/F (6-7, So.)Outlook: Marquette is one of the nation's bigger surprises. Many thoughtthey'd be good, but few if any predicted this kind of success. Wade is thekey. A partial qualifier a year ago, he leads the Eagles in scoring, assistsand rebounds and has turned into one of Conference USA's top performers.Marquette won the Great Alaska Shootout and has not slowed down since.Projection: Marquette has gotten it done all year, but does it have what ittakes to make an impact in the Big Dance? They have the backcourt to make animpact, but may lack the inside play to really do some damage. A win ispossible, maybe even two, but don't expect much more.

VS

No. 12Tulsa Golden HurricaneRecord: 26-6 (15-3, WAC)Location: Tulsa, OklahomaKey players: Kevin Johnson, F (6-7, Jr.); Greg Harrington, G (6-2, Sr.);Dante Swanson, G (5-10, Jr..Outlook: How does Tulsa do it? The coach doesn't matter. The loss of playersdoesn't matter. The occasional change in conference seems immaterial. Tulsasimply wins 20 games each and every year, and sends fear into the hearts ofits early-round tournament opposition.Projection: Great balance. Four players average double figures, and anothercontributes nine points per game. Athleticism is also a strongsuit, and thatcounters its lack of overall size. A dangerous team that has very real Sweet16 potential.

No. 4Kentucky Wildcats Record: 20-9 (10-6 SEC)Key Players: PF-Tayshaun Prince, Sr., SF-Keith Bogans, Sr., SG-Gerald Fitch,So.Outlook: The Wildcats thought they had two All-Americans when both Princeand Bogans decided to return for their senior years, but what they gotinstead were two guys that failed to live up to the expectations. TheWildcats rebound the ball well (over 40 per game), but shoot likegrade-schoolers (45 percent overall, 67 percent at the line and 31 percentfrom deep).Projection: Prince likes to do pretty much nothing but circle around thethree-point arc waiting to jack up seven or eight treys per game, so puttinga hand in his face is necessary. Stopping Prince is the key to beatingKentucky, which really hasn't been as difficult as many preseason expertsthought it would be. Anything past the Sweet Sixteen would be a minor shock.

VS

No. 13Valparaiso CrusadersRecord: 25-7 (12-2 Mid-Continent)Location: Valparaiso, INKey Players: Lubos Barton, F (6-8, Sr.); Raitis Grafs, C (6-11, Jr.); AntoniFalu G, 6-5, Jr.Outlook: The "Foreign Legion" (Valpo has seven non-U.S. residents on itsroster) is always dangerous in the Big Dance, just ask Rob Evans when he wasat Mississippi. Head coach Homer Drew has another good team led by aphysical frontline of Lubos Barton (15.1 points, 6.7 rebounds) and RaitisGrafs (12.4, 6.7). The aggressive approach by the Crusaders might be enoughto take some team out of its game in the first round.Projection: Another potential upset waiting to happen. Valpo's overallrecord doesn't jump out at you, but it lost road games to Arizona by fourand Kansas by eight during a four-day road swing. They can beat a lot ofteams and could make a small run to the second weekend.

No. 6Texas Tech Red RaidersRecord: 26-8 (10-6, Big 12)Key Players: SG-Andre Emmett, So., C-Andy Ellis, Sr., SF-Kasib Powell, Jr.Outlook: Head coach Bob Knight has done such a masterful job with theperennial doormat Red Raider program that he is deserving of national Coachof the Year consideration. His instant discipline style has enabled him toget the maximum ability out of a bunch of average players. The motionoffense he made famous in leading Indiana to three national championshipsnow resides in Lubbock, Texas, and has been working extremely well.Projection: The lack of a good point guard might be the undoing for TexasTech. Bobby Knight teams have struggled in the early rounds as of late anddon't expect the Raiders to be much different.

VS

No. 11Southern Illinois SalukisRecord: 25-7 (14-4, MVC)Location: Carbondale, ILKey Players: Kent Williams, G (6-2, Jr.); Rolan Roberts, C (6-6, Sr.);Jermaine Dearman, F (6-8, Jr.)Outlook: The Salukis had some nervous moments on "Selection Sunday," buttheir good non-conference wins got them in. They are no longer a bubble teamand are now the team no one wants to face. They have wins over St. Louis,Iowa State, Murray State and Indiana, while losing by three at Illinois. TheSalukis are a veteran team with a proven scorer in Williams.Projection: The Salukis have shown the ability to play with the big boys, soa first-round win isn't out of the question. Things could be tough if theyface teams with good post play, as the starting center is only 6-6. A tripto the second weekend would be a bit of a shocker.

No. 3Georgia Bulldogs Record: 21-9 (10-5, SEC)Location: Athens, GAKey Players: SF-Jarvis Hayes, Soph., SG-Ezra Williams, Jr., PF-ChrisDaniels, So.Outlook: If you haven't had the opportunity to watch sophomore sensationJarvis Hayes play yet, don't pass it up the next time you get a chance. Thefirst-year transfer is one of the best players that America's never heardof, and one of the most exciting as well. Projection: Opposing teams willkey on stopping Jarvis Hayes, which won't be easy, and that will free up thesweet shot of Ezra Williams. Big forward Chris Daniels is a load under thehoop as well and the Bulldogs could very easily surprise some people in theTournament.

VS

No. 14Murray State RacersRecord: 19-12 (10-6, OVC)Key Players: Justin Burdine, G (6-1, Sr.); James Singleton, F (6-8, Jr.);Antione Whelchel (6-5, So.).Outlook: Murray State upended conference power Tennessee Tech in the finalsof the Ohio Valley Conference, and earned the right to square off againstGeorgia, a mainstay in the SEC's upper echelon all season. The Racers areathletic and at times bulky, but not very tall. Six-eight, 240 appears to bethe commonality along the front line. Burdine is the key. He averages over20 points per game.Projection: An upset is not out of the question. Murray State is alreadyplaying on borrowed time, and knocked off a strong opponent in TennesseeTech to earn a spot in the field. At the very least, it has the opportunityto make that first-round game competitive.

No. 7North Carolina StateRecord: 22-10 (9-7, ACC)Location: Raleigh, North CarolinaKey players: Anthony Grundy, G (6-3, Sr.); Julius Hodge, G (6-6, Fr.);Marcus Melvin, F (6-8, So.).Outlook: Certainly battle tested given the competition in the ACC, andfirmly entrenched around the middle of the league. NC State has generallybeaten the teams it should, and lost to the better part of the conference.Grundy and Hodge are a dangerous backcourt combination.Projection: Up and down, as can be expected with a youthful team. NorthCarolina State might be good for one win come tournament time, but willprobably have to play above its head to survive into the second week.

VS

No. 10Michigan State SpartansRecord: 19-10 (10-6, Big Ten)Key Players: Marcus Taylor, G (6-3, So); Adam Ballinger, F (6-9, Jr.); ChrisHill, G (6-3, Fr.).Outlook: Taylor has improved 100 percent from the beginning of the season,scoring 32 and 34 versus Ohio State and Iowa consecutively in the final tworegular-season conference contests. Bad loss at Northwestern (61-49), andfour-game midseason losing streak pose questions of consistency.Projection: Although not nearly as balanced talent-wise as in years past,the Spartans play prototypical team basketball. Tom Izzo's kids manhandledArizona at the Breslin Center. Spartans big fellas can stroke it hardcore,posing matchup dilemmas for slow post defenders. Although smooth and steady,MSU simply not all that dangerous on offense. They will not make their fifthconsecutive Final Four.

No. 2Connecticut HuskiesRecord: 24-6 (13-3, Big East)Location: Storrs, ConnecticutKey players: Caron Butler, F (6-7, So.); Emeka Okafor, F/C (6-9, Fr.);Taliek Brown, PG (6-1, So.)Outlook: The Huskies have a nice balance of outside and inside talent, buthave been an enigma. They can win the big game, then falter against a lesseropponent. Brown provides the glue, while Butler may be the best player inthe Big East. Okafor is a shotblocker in the middle.Projection: UConn is a nightmare for your bracket. At times they look like agreat dark horse for a long run, then the next day they look like a likely"mid-major" upset victim. The fans in Storrs will be disappointed if theHuskies don't win at least one game.

No. 15Hampton PiratesRecord: 26-6 (17-1 MEAC)Location: Hampton, VA.Key Players: Tommy Adams, G (6-3, Jr.); Devin Green, G (6-6, Fr.); IsaacJefferson, G (6-5, Jr.)Outlook: The Pirates stunned North Carolina in Chapel Hill to start theseason. While that win isn't as shocking due to Carolina's poor season,Hampton rode that success to a great season. The Pirates have won 18 oftheir last 19 games, after a tough four-game losing streak. Adams is a solidscorer, while Jefferson has the unique role of being the club's leadingrebounder and assist man.Projection: Last year the Pirates shocked Iowa State. This year teams willbe ready for them, making a first round upset a bit harder. The Piratescould steal a game, but it won't be easy.